Drifting
by SuperKateB
Summary: A small town, a young man, his beautiful teacher, and a chill wind, all in the dark of a moonless night.


_I'll give you sun and the moon and the open highway  
And a river beneath your feet.  
I'll give you days full of dreams if you travel my way  
And a summer you can't repeat.  
I'll give you nights full of passion  
And days of adventure –  
No strings, just warm summer rain_.  
- "The Stars and the Moon," _Songs for a New World_

**"Drifting"  
A Cardcaptor Sakura Fanfiction  
Written by Kate "SuperKate" Butler **

Sometimes, on the darkest of nights, she found herself feeling not unlike like a drifter, wandering down a path on  
some unnamed journey, no end in sight.

She leaned her head, heavy after a long day, back against the smooth rim of the tub and gazed up at the ceiling,  
studying the haphazard pattern that drops of condensation were forming above her. The bathwater, rich with thick  
bubbles, had once been steaming hot - nearly scalding - but now was tepid, almost uncomfortable against her skin. 

She sighed. Part of her body, perhaps the nerves connected to her skin and, thusly, forced to dangle in the water,  
begged her to move, to climb out of the bath and dress herself warmly. But part of her body refused to budge,  
comfortable swathed in bubbles, stretched out from head to toe.

Her heart and mind played the same game, begging her to act while praying she held back, waiting expectantly for  
motion but dreading the ripples such motion would cause.

Mind trumped heart.

Shaking the water from her long hair, she forced herself out of the water.

Night had come to the city like a burglar, creeping over the hills and buildings and slowly overtaking everything  
with its quiet darkness. She watched the star-dotted, moonless sky as she towel-dried her hair and dressed simply,  
donning loafers, jeans, and a sweatshirt. As an afterthought, she added casual earrings and a light touch of facial  
makeup. Her amber-eyed, auburn-haired reflection stared at her through the mirror as she added a touch of red  
lipstick.

She remembered hearing once, long before she came to the quiet down of Tomoeda, that the night of the new  
moon was a night of mischief and evil, when spirits and troublemakers emerged from the shadows and came out to  
play. After all, on that one night, there was no watchful, pale eye looming over them in the sky, supervising and  
judging the mischief of their kind.

Fleetingly, as she gathered up her things, she also remembered thinking that such a thing was absolutely  
preposterous, a lie borne of old women's tales.

Maybe now, tonight, she would think otherwise.

Slipping down the stairs, out of the apartment building, and onto the street was easy enough. No one noticed a  
lone woman stepping out just before ten p.m., but she knew better than anyone that the first leg of the journey would  
be the simple one.

Rather, it would be getting to the school grounds without calling attention to herself that would prove to be a challenge.

The fall wind was crisp against her cheeks and she grew cold, wishing she'd dried her hair or at least worn a hat. A  
shiver ran up her spine, and she pulled her sweatshirt sleeves down over her hands. Why hadn't she thought to dress more  
warmly?

Snorting at her own childishness, she shook her head as she turned a corner. What did it matter? Those were small  
concerns in a greater realm, insignificant matters that would soon enough cease to affect anyone, including herself.

Why had she agreed to meet at the school grounds? Her mind wandered idly. Of all the places she could have chosen,  
why the most ironic choice? And, more pressingly, why had she even agreed to meet him? He was an attractive boy,  
that was certain, but he was just that – a boy. Young. Still ripe with innocence and so uninitiated. Certainly, he wanted  
introduction to the adult world, but she could not help but pour out silent sympathy for him. What should have stopped at  
the doorway to her classroom now carried into the quiet night and... And...

Oh, what did it matter, now? She turned another corner, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. Her feet moved more  
briskly as she pressed forward, her thoughts wheeling. Once you agreed to tango with the devil, you certainly did not flee.  
Damnation was damnation, any way you twisted it. And the flavor it left on your tongue did taste so sweet...

"Mizuki-sensei?"

The voice was tentative and she whirled on her heel just in time to see him standing less than twenty feet behind her.  
The wind ruffled his dark hair and the loose fabric on his windbreaker as he stepped out of shadow and into a streetlight.

Her heart, resolved as it had been, leapt into her throat.

"You're running early, Kinomoto-san," she smiled to the boy, forcing her tone to be light, not unlike it was when she  
taught class. She glanced fleetingly at her watch, surprised at the time. "Very early, in fact."

He shrugged. "I don't like being late."

An awkward silence passed as leaves danced through the street, scraping across the pavement. Words filtered through  
her mind, but none of them seemed appropriate. How was she to take the necessary actions, the needed steps, when –

"Is something wrong, sensei?"

He grounded her, pulling her quickly back to the reality at hand, and she shook her head slightly. Now, more than ever,  
she had to ignore the building uncertainty in the back of her mind and play the role of the calm, determined adult. His dark  
eyes watched her carefully as she thrust her hands in her pockets. "Nothing is wrong," she answered plainly. "I just am not  
sure exactly what to say, now." She paused for a moment, wetting her lips. The sharp taste of lipstick lingered on her tongue.  
"We are breaking a lot of rules by being here, you know, Kinomoto-san."

"You yourself said we were breaking a lot of rules before." For a moment, he no longer sounded like a young boy, a  
nameless adolescent amongst her other hundred-some students. No, now - his dark hair gleaming in the street light - he was  
a young man, his jaw set stonily as he shared with her a small, almost secret smile. "I don't see why this is any different."

She smiled back softly, the familiar flirtation comforting and very real. "Yes, well, I have never been very good at playing  
by all the rules." She stepped forward, her footing tentative. It brought her closer to him, and his dark, staring eyes. One  
foot in front of the other, every step delicate but determined, every movement pointed. Soon, there was less than two feet  
between them, and in the silence of the night, she could hear him breathing.

"And so, Mizuki-sensei?" There was a challenge in his tone, an edge she'd come to admire when he pushed her to teach  
better, to explain more, to question the answers she'd blindly rehearsed before class. It was tone she'd come to respect  
when she realized his identity, his strength, and the role he would someday play in future events.

He took a small step forward, further closing the gap between their bodies. "What comes of your rule-breaking?"

A gust of chill wind, colder and stronger than before, tossed the leaves in the street high into the air. Her hair whipped  
around, caught up in the whirlwind, and she felt her throat tighten.

Despite her hesitations, there were still actions that only she could take.

Despite her reservations, there were still events that only she could set into motion.

Despite the pounding of her heart, there were still bridges that only she could burn, bridges that could only be  
burned once she dared to take the first step towards crossing.

And right now, there were still stars in a moonless sky, a dark-haired boy, and a gust of wind that disappeared as  
soon as it had come.

Her hair fell limply around her shoulders.

Mind, once again, trumped heart.

"I believe it starts, Touya-kun," she replied casually, reaching a hand up to caress his cheek, "by you addressing  
me as Kaho."

Yes, sometimes, on the darkest of nights, she found herself feeling not unlike a drifter, wandering down a path  
on some unnamed journey, no end in sight.

Their lips touched lightly, filling her with a warmth unlike anything she had felt for a long, long time.

This night, in this darkness, just happened to be one of those times.

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:** I don't like writing Kaho. It's hard for me, and I needed something to force me to write her.  
Surprise! One of the challenges at the CCS community I frequent on LiveJournal (tsukimineshrine, for those  
interested CCS writer-nerds like myself) required us to write a bit on Kaho, using the words "water" and  
"moon" each once. I pondered the nature of Kaho, and how I view her, and this is how it came out. The  
woman under the cold, omnipotent facade. So I edited my writing challenge entry, and viola! Instant Kaho.

Thanks as always to my beta, Yume, with much heart. Heart, Yume, heart..

February 11, 2005  
5:30 p.m.


End file.
